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<title>The way you Operate is so Sweet by Maniackles</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23369617">The way you Operate is so Sweet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maniackles/pseuds/Maniackles'>Maniackles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Men's Hockey RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, M/M, just soft fluff, when gaybies try to bake</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:35:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,312</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23369617</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maniackles/pseuds/Maniackles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’re definitely doing something,” Travis replies, walking closer and scanning the objects on the island more closely than he could from the doorway.  Flour. Sugar. Cocoa Powder.  “Nolan fucking Patrick, are you baking?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>147</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The way you Operate is so Sweet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Solely inspired by my own mother's hand-me-down recipe cards that are SO vague.  And the outside world is so grim and sad, I just wanted something happy.  Title is from Birthday by All Time Low.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Travis rolls over in bed, half asleep, and realizes that the other side is empty and cold.  He waits a few seconds before realizing the bathroom is dark and empty which means Nolan has most definitely been kidnapped.  Except that’s not actually logical, he thinks, and he picks up his phone to check the time.  2:17 AM.  What the actual fuck.</p>
<p>He rolls out of bed, wraps himself up in the sheet and makes his way out to the living room.  Maybe Nolan just got too hot or uncomfortable and decided to watch TV in the living room or sleep on the couch.  Best to check and, ya know, rule out the whole kidnapping scenario playing in his head; the one where his 6’2”, 185 pound boyfriend has been taken out of their secure apartment building that requires a key to get into.</p>
<p>But the living room is dark, only lit by the streetlights outside, and completely empty.  Travis just stands in the room for a moment trying to wake up his brain enough to figure out what is going on when he hears a small crash in the kitchen followed by a muffled “fuck”.  He slowly and quietly makes his way to the kitchen to investigate and almost thinks he’s still asleep and dreaming as he takes it all in.</p>
<p>There Nolan is, standing in what has to be the messiest version of their kitchen.  He’s shirtless, wearing just a pair of tight, black sweats that are tinted white in places.  His hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail at the back of his head and has pieces of a wet brown substance that Travis can’t identify from the doorway.  There are bowls scattered all over the kitchen that Travis didn’t even know they owned.  There are baking ingredients piled up on the island in the center of the room and Travis didn’t even know that Nolan knew where to buy things like that.</p>
<p>Travis can tell that Nolan has no idea that he’s being watched from the doorway of the room.  He notices that Nolan’s face is scrunched up into a pinched expression and he’s holding a tiny card in front of him, muttering under his breath words that Travis can’t make out.</p>
<p>“Bud, its 2 in the fucking morning.  What the fuck are you doing out here?” and with the sudden noise coming from his side Nolan nearly jumps out of his skin which causes Travis to start giggling under his breath.</p>
<p>“I, uh, it’s nothing.  I’m doing nothing.  Just don’t worry about it,” Nolan responds, cheeks growing rosier with every word avoiding eye contact with Travis.</p>
<p>“You’re definitely doing something,” Travis replies, walking closer and scanning the objects on the island more closely than he could from the doorway.  Flour. Sugar. Cocoa Powder.  “Nolan fucking Patrick, are you baking?”</p>
<p>“I’m TRYING to bake a cake, but this recipe makes no fucking sense dude.  I can’t figure this shit out,” Nolan sounds beyond exasperated and that’s when Travis realizes there are several pans on the counter behind Nolan that could maybe be considered chocolate cake.  One looks almost charred.  Another looks like its pure goo in the middle but crispy around the edges.  And the third, well, he’s not really sure but it looks like a science experiment gone wrong.</p>
<p>“Why are you baking?  You know there’s fancy ass bakeries all over this side of town.  Or, hell, if you wanted a late-night cake that bad you could just go to the fucking grocery store, its open 24/7 dude”</p>
<p>Nolan mumbles something low and quiet that Travis legitimately cannot hear.  And he’s basically fluent in Patty-speak at this point.  “Little louder, Pats.”</p>
<p>“I wanted it to be a special cake, okay.  I know when my mom made this chocolate cake for your birthday last year you loved it and wouldn’t stop talking about it for like 3 weeks.  And since you turn 23 tomorrow, or fuck, today at this point, I was going to try and surprise you and make her cake, but her card makes no sense.  It’s just a list of ingredients, an oven temperature and a time,” Nolan spits out looking entirely defeated.</p>
<p>Travis drops the bedsheet he’s wrapped in and crosses the kitchen approaching Nolan.  “Nols,” he coos as he places his hands on both of Nolan’s cheeks.  He realizes that the white substance on Nolan’s pants must be flour as he can see the streak marks left by the wiping of dirty fingers.  And the mystery substance in Nolan’s hair is definitely cake batter.  There’s a streak of cake batter on his nose too and Travis moves his hand to swipe it off and stick his finger in his mouth, tasting what could maybe be considered chocolate cake if the person making it had never actually eaten it before. </p>
<p>“This tastes like shit dude,” he giggles as he pulls Nolan’s head down to press their foreheads together.</p>
<p>“Fuck you, see if I ever do anything nice for you again,” Nolan replies but he’s smiling so Travis knows he’s not really offended.  Travis pulls his head back just far enough to plant a slow but sloppy kiss on Nolan and feels him melt into the touch.  They maybe lose track of the messy kitchen around them as Travis backs Nolan against the counter, knocking a plastic mixing bowl to the ground.  The clatter brings them back to reality and Travis pulls back and just smiles at Nolan.</p>
<p>“Show me the recipe card, I’m sure with our two adult brains we can definitely figure this out,” Travis says with a wink.  He’s never baked a damn thing in his life.  He has nothing to offer but he can tell that this means a lot to Nolan so he’s going to figure it out.</p>
<p>“You can’t make your own fucking birthday cake, Teeks.  That’s just sad.”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to make it; we’re going to make it together.  Do that domesticated shit.”  Travis snatches the recipe card and Nolan wasn’t wrong.  There are no instructions. “What do they do on that stupid baking competition show that Provy’s girl likes.  The British one?  Don’t they, like, mix up the wet stuff in one bowl and then the dry stuff in another?”</p>
<p>Nolan just stares back at Travis like he’s speaking a foreign language.  “How do you remember that, but you can’t remember basic life skills like getting the car you parked out of a parking garage!”</p>
<p>“Bud, its been a year. Let. It. Go.  And, well, you can NEVER tell anyone that I’m telling you this but you know when you were out half the season and I had to be on my own on the planes and in the hotel rooms I may have kept watching it after she had it on that one night”  And that pulls a real smile out of Nolan.</p>
<p>“Oh, that can be our little secret, but you are never going to live that one down.  Okay, let’s bake this fucking cake.”  And with their two brains (but limited braincells) combined, they manage to mix together something that could definitely be considered a cake, but Paul Hollywood would never give out a handshake after tasting it. </p>
<p>“Okay, you’ve now kept me up until like 4 am on my fucking birthday.  You owe me,” Travis says with an evil smile as they finish cleaning up the giant mess in their kitchen.</p>
<p>“I just made you a whole fucking birthday cake.  What else could I possibly owe you.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I’ll take a piece of cake.  But not the one you just made.” Travis uses both hands to grab hard on Nolan’s ass which causes him to let out a loud yelp before turning around and grabbing Travis’ arms to lead him back to the bedroom.</p>
<p>“Okay, let’s go then birthday boy.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>as always, comments always appreciated!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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